Hortonworks Sandbox for HDP and HDF is your chance to get started on learning, developing, testing and trying out new features. Each download comes preconfigured with interactive tutorials, sample data and developments from the Apache community.

Big data has passed the early adopter stage. The early adopters have taken the big data ball and ran with it. Everyone else has to climb aboard the big data ship or it’s going to start leaving them behind. Data is a major part of any business and you’re losing a massive edge to your competitors if you don’t start taking advantage of it.

The big data revolution is already here and here are some of the reasons why it’s set to change every type of business.

Big Data Will Become an Asset to Every Business

Every business has the potential to generate big data on a budget. If a business has any sort of social media presence, brings in web traffic, or accepts credit cards it can collect data. If, for instance, you offer acrepair services, you can gather data on the user experience, where traffic is settling on your platform, and what your customers love.

Companies of all sizes need to have a strategy for wielding this data. They need a plan for how they’re going to collect it, use it, and protect it from hackers. Even the smallest companies will be taking advantage of data services in the coming years.

Industries that assumed big data wasn’t for them will be struggling to catch up if they don’t act now. Data is an asset and it can be used to make your business better.

Big Data Will Be Used to Collect Better Market Intelligence

The more you know about your customers the more likely you are to produce a product that fulfills their needs. The quality and quantity of data is increasing every year. Data gathering systems are becoming more adept at collecting the numbers that actually matter.

If a company knows what customers love and hate without needing to ask them they’re going to have a tremendous advantage over their competitors.

Take a TV network provider as an example. They will be able to provide better DISH Network packages because they can better tailor the channels included according to what customers actually want to watch. There will be more packages and customers will be able to pick and choose the channels they want.

The same principles can be applied to every industry.

Every Industry Will See a Boost to Efficiency

Big data isn’t something that can be exclusively applied to customers. Every industry will use it to analyze internal operations. Businesses can use data to track employee performance, find the best delivery routes, and to find out if their machinery’s performance is in decline. Big data can be used in this way across a variety of departments.

Companies have even started to use it to create quantified workplaces through using sensors to track where employees are at all times. These sensors can track tone of voice, stress levels, and health.

Hire the Right People with Big Data

It can even be used to hire the right people. Imagine if big data hired your next CEO. This is something that can be done because it can analyze everything they see during an interview and it can compare the data you extract from their applications.

More and more companies are looking at the numbers when it comes to their hiring practices.

Data Will Enhance the Customer Experience

Every industry has customers. The customer experience is critical to retaining good business. Firms will use the data collected to make their products better and improve the experience customers have when they work with them. Data can be used to figure out what customers want and what they don’t want without ever speaking to them.

This will get around the problem of customers not being responsive to surveys and beta teams not being substantial enough.

How Do You Get Started with Big Data?

Big data doesn’t mean you have to have a huge dedicated server on your premises. The chances are you’re gathering data right now from Google Analytics and the Excel spreadsheets filled with sales figures. That data can be extracted and used to make future decisions.

Redirecting your focus to the numbers will enable you to make decisions based on facts, not opinions. Those decisions will be right more of the time and your business will see the benefits in the long-term.